


Cool as a Cucumber

by GriffinRose



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cold, Gen, Hypothermia, Keith (Voltron) Whump, Takes Place After the clone mess is resolved, Whump, but don't ask where Krolia is I have no idea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-25 04:52:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14371299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GriffinRose/pseuds/GriffinRose
Summary: Keith hates the cold. A lot. So of course he's the one who almost dies in it.This is why he likes to give Fate the middle finger.





	Cool as a Cucumber

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this in my files for months so here, take it.

The planet was pretty, once you got past the biting cold and vast expanses of nothing. Icy tundras were not among Keith’s favorite places in the world, and that was exactly where they were right now.

 

To be fair, he wasn’t even that cold- their suits were made for deep space, they could handle a tundra. He was simply accustomed to higher temperatures and therefore had little patience for any weather below fifty degrees. And when the current temperature was negative fifty degrees, he was not a happy camper.

 

Add to all this the ridiculous mission they were on to find a fancy rock for Coran, and his mood plummeted lower than the temperature.

 

Okay, it wasn’t that ridiculous. This rock could be ground up and used as a substitute for scaltrite, and it would be a good idea to keep stores of it on hand for emergencies. They had a break right now, Haggar’s trail as cold as this planet and not quite ready to jump back into forming Voltron. Not after everything that just happened with Shiro and the clone.

 

This was a good, easy mission to let them all adjust to one another again. It just happened to be on, arguably, the worst planet in the universe.

 

“Do you think we could go sledding after we find this rock?” Lance asked. “Or maybe we could build snowmen!”

 

“The ground is a little icy for snowmen,” Pidge said.

 

“But maybe we could go ice skating,” Hunk said. “That could be fun.”

 

“We’re already ice skating,” Lance grumbled.

 

Shiro slipped and flailed wildly to prove his point. He recovered his balance quickly, but even Keith couldn’t hide his snickers. “Personally, I’m in favor of returning to the castle as soon as possible,” Shiro stated.

 

“Seconded,” Keith muttered. “You three have fun freezing.”

 

“Are you cold?” Hunk asked. “I’m, like, sweating.”

 

“I feel like I should be freezing,” Keith said. He knew it was cold out; that was why they all had their full helmets on, so they didn’t freeze their mouths off and let the cold in. But he was closer to sweating, and it was messing with his head.

 

“Well as long as our suits aren’t compromised, there will be no freezing for any of us,” Pidge said.

 

“Why would you say something like that?” Lance whined. “Now one of us is going to compromise our suit and get hypothermia.”

 

“Just stick together,” Shiro said. “We’ll be fine.”

 

Easy to say, but Keith felt the same sense of foreboding Lance did. Which was possibly because he hated the whole planet, but, whatever.

 

Pidge pulled up a screen from her vanguard. “We’re close to the area Coran marked for us. It should be right up ahead.”

 

Keith’s spirits sank even further. ‘Right up ahead’ was the side of a mountain, which meant they were going to have to dig. Wonderful.

 

“I think I see a cave,” Hunk said. “It’s probably in there.”

 

Marginally better. Marginally.

 

They all paused outside the cave, staring into the dark tunnel.

 

“Sooo, who wants to go down the creepy tunnel first?” Lance asked.

 

Keith rolled his eyes and stepped forward. Their helmets were outfitted with night vision, and as soon as the tech registered the low light it switched over. They’d already scanned the planet and found no sign of life, so it wasn’t like there was going to be anything waiting for them.

 

“It probably won’t be too far in,” Pidge said. “My guess is this whole mountain is made of it, we just need to get away from all the snow and ice.”

 

Keith led the way by several feet, striding purposefully through the tunnel. The sooner they found this rock, the sooner they could leave.

 

There were numerous reasons he missed the warning signs. Too focused on getting out of there, unfamiliar with icy landscapes, distracted by Lance’s attempt at a ‘cool like me’ joke...ultimately, he just hadn’t been paying attention to cracks under his feet.

 

He was wholly unprepared for the sudden weightlessness. A startled yelp jumped out of his throat. Shouts of “Keith!” followed him down.

 

He found some kind of slope and tumbled a little until he found the other slope that led back up, pinning his left arm behind his back with a painful lurch as the rest of him tried desperately to keep falling through the narrow crevice. He bit his lip and held his breath for a minute while he got his heart rate under control. 

 

“Quiznak, Keith, are you okay?” Lance asked.

 

Snow fell into his lap and he grimaced. Taking a deep breath, he took stock.

 

He didn’t get very far. His left arm burned, and the rest of him was stuck. “Pretty sure I dislocated my shoulder,” he said. “And I’m... stuck.”

 

“Can you get your jet pack working?” Pidge asked.

 

If he were actually upright, it wouldn’t be hard at all. He could have just leaned forward and been done with it. Instead, he was mostly sideways and wedged between the two slopes pretty tightly. And wiggling around hurt his arm more.

 

“Don’t hurt yourself more,” Shiro said. “We’ll figure something else out.”

 

Keith took another deep breath. “Okay.”

 

“Maybe there’s some rope in one of the lions or something,” Hunk suggested. “Or we could try and dig down to him.”

 

Keith tried shifting again, just to try and get more upright. He slid his foot down along the slope, trying to find the point where the two sides met. His foot kept going and going, swinging down into empty space. His stomach nearly dropped with it and he jerked his foot back up, bracing himself on the slopes.

 

“Guys? This isn’t the bottom of the hole,” Keith said, fighting to keep his voice even.

 

“What do you mean?” Shiro asked.

 

“I think it widens out again, like an hourglass or something.”

 

“Okay, just keep still,” Shiro said.

 

“Maybe we could lower ourselves down like a human ladder,” Lance suggested.

 

“Looks like our fastest option,” Shiro said. “Is everyone okay with that?”

 

“Let’s do it, lower me down, Lance,” Pidge said.

 

More snow got kicked onto Keith and he frowned. He hated snow. Give him a dusty desert any day.

 

He glanced up and saw Pidge being lowered headfirst down the hole.

 

They...were actually doing that. He blinked. If his visor wasn’t in the way, he would have rubbed his eyes. What about that plan made it seem like a good idea? Desperation really does make people do weird things.

 

“Shiro, you hang onto Lance,” Hunk said.

 

Pidge lowered a little more, and Lance’s head popped into view. “We’re coming, Keith,” Pidge said, smiling.

 

He huffed out a laugh and tried to straighten up again, clawing at the sides of the slope with his good hand. His foot slipped between the cracks again, making him jolt. His shoulder throbbed.

 

“Shiro said don’t move,” Lance admonished.

 

“I’m just trying to get upright,” Keith said. He grabbed a ledge and hauled himself up. His foot dangled in open air. The pressure on his left arm relaxed immediately, and that already felt leagues better.

 

“Keith,” Shiro started.

 

“No, that helps,” Pidge said. “I’m not sure we would have reached if he hadn’t. Hunk, start lowering Shiro.”

 

Keith was about to lift up his dangling foot and push himself up the wall a little when something batted his foot.

 

He froze. In his moment of confusion, whatever batted at him before grabbed on and yanked. He yelped, sliding down the crevice again.

 

“Keith!” Pidge said.

 

“This is why we said don’t move!” Lance yelled.

 

“No, something grabbed me!” Keith yelled back. He was too large to fit through the crevice, but he had a feeling the ice wasn’t all that strong.

 

“What?” Shiro said.

 

“That’s impossible, nothing lives here!” Pidge said.

 

“Hunk, lower us faster!” Lance 

 

Keith opened his mouth to respond to Pidge, but his prediction about the ice was proven correct and all that came out was a scream. He fell through the air amidst chunks of ice and screams of his name.

 

He didn’t fall long before slamming into solid ground. He cried out again when his shoulder hit. His whole arm was like fire. How ironic was that, considering all the ice around him?

 

“Keith! Can you hear us? Are you okay?” Shiro asked.

 

Blood trickled down his chin from where he’d bit his lip.

 

Whatever grabbed him sniffed his side, pushing him along the ground.

 

His eyes shot open and he tried to shove it away with his good arm. The...creature...growled and sat on his arm, pinning him. It looked like some kind of hairy troll, and it was big. Horns sprouted up from its head, and really sharp teeth dripped out of its mouth.

 

It also had friends. Curious friends that were getting closer.

 

He pulled uselessly on his trapped arm. “Not uninhabited! Definitely not uninhabited!”

 

“Quiznak, something must have messed with our sensors,” Pidge said. “Lance, let go of me!”

 

“Are you insane?” Lance asked.

 

Keith kicked out, catching one of the trolls in the face. The troll growled and grabbed his leg, biting down on it. The armor held, thank quiznak, but Keith’s blood pressure was skyrocketing. He thrashed, finally tearing his arm free. The momentum threw him into a ball over his bad arm.

 

“Lance!” Pidge yelled.

 

“No way!” Lance retorted. “Ow-hey, stop kicking!”

 

“Guys!” Hunk begged.

 

Keith tried to push himself up, tried to scramble away, but he wasn’t fast enough. The troll that had been sitting on his arm before lunged forward and sank its teeth into Keith’s side.

 

Keith howled.

 

The flexible black kevlar wasn’t as strong as the white plating, and it was apparently weak enough for the trolls to pierce through.

 

The troll dragged him back across the ice. Keith cried out again.

 

“Let...go!” Pidge yelled.

 

“Ow-quiznak, Pidge!” Lance yelled.

 

Keith didn’t know what they were doing, he wasn’t paying attention. He was in  _pain_  and he wanted it to  _stop_.

 

Easier said than done.

 

At least the troll didn’t seem able to tear a chunk out of his stomach; the kevlar might be pierceable, but it still wasn’t tearable.

 

“Get off him!” Pidge yelled. Her bayard sailed across Keith’s vision and slashed the troll’s face. The troll let go of him and shrieked. The others lost interest in Keith and prowled around to Pidge. “Oh quiznak.”

 

“Shiro,” Lance started.

 

“You sure, buddy?” Shiro asked.

 

“Do it,” Lance said.

 

Keith curled into a ball again, pressing his good hand against his side. Blood seeped out over his fingers, and cold seeped in, rushing over his skin and sinking right into his bones. His teeth chattered within moments.

 

He heard the fight, heard Pidge running around the ice and sliding under trolls, electrocuting as many as she could, and eventually the sounds of Lance’s blaster. He heard trolls growling and snarling. One started to drag him off again, but as soon as he registered the fact he was moving and opened his eyes, a blast from Lance nailed the troll right between the eyes.

 

The fight was over soon after that. Pidge and Lance crowded around him, Lance helping him sit up while Pidge examined his side.

 

“Quiznak,” Pidge muttered. “We need to get you back to the lions before you freeze.”

 

Keith nodded. His teeth were chattering too hard for much else.

 

“How is he?” Shiro asked.

 

“Something’s definitely wrong with his shoulder, and he’s got a nice bite in his side, but the suit kept the damage minimal,” Pidge said. “He’s still exposed to the freezing temperatures, though.”

 

“So get him out of here ASAP,” Hunk summed up.

 

“Pretty much,” Pidge said, standing up. Between her and Lance, Keith was able to get to his own feet, good arm wrapped around Lance’s shoulders.

 

They used their jetpacks to get back up to Hunk and Shiro. Both men were quick to surround Keith, checking him over for themselves.

 

“Nice work, Pidge, Lance,” Shiro said. “Hunk, Lance, take Keith back to the lions. I’ll stay with Pidge and get those rocks for Coran.”

 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Hunk asked. “I mean, if there’s another crack and we’re not all here...”

 

“We’ll be careful,” Shiro said. “And we’ll call the second we get into trouble.”

 

“Alright,” Lance said, frowning. “We’ll try and be fast.”

 

Shiro nodded, and they split up. Keith kept his attention on putting one foot in front of the other and not curling pathetically into Lance, but  _holy quiznak was it cold_. The good news was his injuries didn’t hurt anymore. The bad news was they didn’t hurt because they’d gone numb with cold.

 

They weren’t too far from the lions, thankfully, and Keith could feel Red’s worry in the back of his mind. If he hadn’t been underground, she’d have come crashing in. Probably. They were still rebuilding their bond from before, but he was fairly certain she would still jump to his rescue if he needed it.

 

 _If he’d been alone_ , she corrected. She hadn’t jumped to help him because she knew the others were there, and they would take care of him.

 

Keith grinned. Yeah, they were taking care of him alright. He could always rely on his team.

 

“Okay, so I’m thinking I’ll take Keith in Blue, and Hunk, you’ll tow Red?” Lance said.

 

“Sounds good,” Hunk said.

 

Blue lowered her head immediately and Lance dragged Keith up the ramp. The heat the greeted them stung, thawing him out a little too quickly.

 

Lance eased him down onto the floor next to the seat and peered at his face. “I don’t think you’re hypothermic yet, so that’s good,” he said.

 

“Still...cold.”

 

Lance snorted. “I bet.” He moved to the pilot’s seat. “This is all Pidge’s fault. I told you she jinxed us.”

 

Keith shook his head. “Should have been paying attention.”

 

Blue lifted off, gently so as to not throw Keith around, which he appreciated.

 

“I mean, yeah,” Lance said. “But your impulsiveness is nothing new.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes.

 

The trip up to the castle was short, and as soon as they were free of the atmosphere Lance radioed Coran and Allura to give them a head’s up. From there it was a simple matter of landing Blue, making their way to the infirmary, and then changing into the med suit to get even more frozen.

 

Coran helped zip up the back while he explained. “We’ll get those injuries nice and healed, and then we’ll warm you up once you’re out!”

 

Keith didn’t even care. He went into the pod without complaint and blissfully fell into unconsciousness.

 

Xx

 

They were all waiting with blankets and hot chocolate when the pod released him.

 

“Where did you find hot chocolate?” Keith asked, blinking at the offered beverage. In his post cryo daze, this was the most important thing that needed to be addressed.

 

“That planet with the rat people, there was a fruit with seeds you can grind up and it tastes like cocoa powder,” Hunk said.

 

How Hunk had even discovered that was a mystery Keith was content to leave alone.

 

They helped him sit on the steps outside the pods, no less than three blankets around him and a mug of warm chocolate in his hands. He sipped it while Pidge explained what happened.

 

“So we did find the Yukite rock, and I did a scan on it when we got back.” She fiddled with her glasses while she spoke. “Well, I tried to, anyway. The properties of the Yukite froze the scanner, and since there was so much of it in that mountain it blocked our sensors from detecting those trolls.”

 

The mice came over and sniffed at his feet before climbing into his lap.

 

“Are we really calling them trolls?” Hunk asked.

 

“Yes, yes we are,” Lance said.

 

“It doesn’t matter what we call them, we’re not going back to that planet,” Shiro said.

 

“You better hope we don’t have to,” Coran said, pulling on his mustache. “The Yukite should last a while, and it’s only a back-up, after all.”

 

“Yes,” Allura said. “And we’ll be busy dealing with Haggar. Lotor sent us a report not that long ago about one of his previous generals being spotted in the Ridlop quadrant.”

 

“And where the generals are, Haggar is,” Keith summed up.

 

Allura nodded. “Which begs the question, how do you feel?”

 

“Still cold, but I’ll deal. The universe waits for no one, right?” Keith said. He sipped the last of his hot chocolate.

 

“Right,” Allura said.

 

“We’ve got your suit fixed, too,” Pidge said.

 

“Thanks,” Keith said. He’d almost been hoping for a chance to wear his Blade outfit for a while; the darker colors didn’t stand out so much and he felt less like a target in it, but the Voltron uniform made him feel like he belonged here, a part of something much bigger.

 

“Then if you’re feeling up for it, we’ve got work to do,” Shiro said.

 

“I’m definitely up for it.” Keith handed his empty mug to Hunk and lifted all the mice off his lap.

 

It was business as usual for Voltron.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Endings are the worst I am sorry but look your emo child is fine.


End file.
